Our lovely freelance photographer Rachel, is the closest thing to Rapunzel in our office, so we asked her if she was willing to give this touseled hairstyle a test run. Does it really only take 10 minutes? Was it as simple as it sounds? Did it end up looking anything like the photo? Find out what Rach had to say:

“The first instruction was to wash your hair, spritz it with a salt spray and rough dry it. As I was doing this at MD Carrie’s house, in the evening, over a (OK, more than one) glass of vino, we decided to skip this stage. Perhaps not the best start!”

Next, sweep hair to the side and secure in a low ponytail. “Simple. Next.”

Steps 3 and 4: Twist the ponytail from the bottom and pull out small sections to create a dishevelled look. The fold up into a loose bun and then secure through gaps of your fingers, with Kirby grips. “This was the tricky bit, possibly not helped by the wine, but it took two of us to get enough Kirby grips in to hold my hair.”

So, the end result? Rachel said “I actually quite like this look (although in real life I might try it with some make-up!) The last part was a bit tricky but I do have very thick hair and with practice I’m sure it would get easier. It did only take 10-minutes and is pretty simple, so thanks Boots Health & Beauty Magazine – I’ll be trying this one again.”

What’s your best up-do hairstyle this season? How about the high top knot? Let us know.

I think that John and Gordon’s comments are both really valid.  But, just in case you’re interested, this is what I would have written (and indeed, have added as a comment on the end of the article):

“There’s no doubt that Ultimo is a strong name in an industry that, perhaps because of the dominance of M&S, does not seem to nurture brands per se.  When I worked in the industry, the customer research we did time and time again revealed that women didn’t really shop by brand, but instead by colour and the sizes available – many of them couldn’t name the brand they wore, just the shop they bought it from.  So, Ultimo, with its combination of designs led by fashion cues and celebrity tie-ups has done well to buck this trend.

I think its foray into beauty products could have mixed fortunes – many fashion brands have tried it with varying degrees of success.  A capsule range of fake tan products would seem to perfectly complement their core business and brand ethos of glamour and fun, but at a time when women are demanding more and more scientific credibility from their skincare, moving into face cream territory feels a stretch too far to me.

There is much room for improvement in the lingerie industry in the UK and I wonder if they should instead focus efforts here. Shopping for lingerie should feel like a treat and yet women constantly complain of poorly-fitting bras, a lack of sizes (especially for the increasing number of women with larger cup sizes), plus a difficult and not always entirely pleasant shopping environment. If Ultimo could be seen to champion a shift in the whole shopping experience for women, while ensuring the fit technology of the bras is second-to-none and maintaining their links with fashion, then they may engender a whole new group of loyal followers and cement their fortunes in this highly lucrative sector.”